Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service: FAQs

The service begins at 6:30 pm (doors open from 5:30 pm) and lasts one hour. 

Westminster Abbey is an accessible venue – please refer to their accessibility features and click the following link: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/plan-your-visit/access-facilities-and-faq/

There is no parking available on site.  We strongly encourage guests to use public transportation. Nearby parking is available by clicking the following link: https://www.q-park.co.uk/en-gb/cities/london/poi/westminster-abbey/

Children are allowed but the Abbey typically don’t advise children under 6 attend. All children must have their own seat and be accompanied at all times by a responsible adult. 

• Dress Code: Smart (no hats)
• Decorations and medals may be worn
• National dress is optional for international guests
• Uniformed nurses and midwives in the processions to wear uniform
• Uniform for nurses and midwives not in the procession is optional

Each year we send invitations to over 1500 invited guests. These include Nursing and Midwifery VIPs, FNF Scholars, participants on FNF leadership programmes, FNF Member organisations and other stakeholder and supporter groups. In addition, each year we release public tickets, allocated on a first come first served basis, to anyone who would like to attend (see question below on ‘extra tickets’ for more details on the public tickets).

Invited guests: Invitations will be sent out in the week commencing Monday 10 March 2025.

Members of the Public: The first wave of public tickets will be released in mid-March, with a further wave of tickets released in April.

Information on these will be shared first via our newsletter. To sign up for this, please click this link: https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/newsletter. Details will then be added to this website page: https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/events/florence-nightingale-commemoration-service/. If you would like to book two public tickets, please be ready with the name and email address of your guest when booking. 

Tickets to this wonderful event are free. However, the Florence Nightingale Foundation relies on external funding to support our vital work. Please kindly click this link https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/make-a-donation to make a donation, your generosity will play a crucial role in preserving the legacy of Florence Nightingale for future generations to support and develop nurses and midwives to promote health, improve care and save lives across the world. 

Invited Guests: Some invited guests (for instance our FNF members) are allocated more than one ticket. If you have been allocated additional tickets you will see an additional screen after you submit your RSVP, requesting the names and email addresses of any guests you would like to invite. If you have not been allocated additional tickets, or if you require more than your allocated number of tickets, we do have limited public tickets available that you can apply for. Information on this will be available on our website and news of when they go live will be shared first via our newsletter (see below). Please note that all those attending are allocated seating areas depending on their ticket – those with public tickets will have a separate section so you will not be able to sit with someone who has a different type of ticket to you.

Members of the Public: We have a number of tickets available that will be released in mid-March (up to two tickets per person.).  We release these on a first come first service basis and will turn off the ticketing link when tickets are sold out. Information on these will be shared first via our newsletter. To sign up for this please click this link: https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/newsletter. 

Details will then be added to this website page: https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/events/florence-nightingale-commemoration-service/. 

If you would like to book two tickets, please be ready with the name and email address of your guest when booking. 

Most of our invitations are non-transferrable. The only exception is when a named member is unable to attend, they may transfer their invitation to someone else at their organisation.

Once an actual ticket has been issued this is non transferrable.

We are required to ask for some extra information this year (e.g. date of birth and address) due to additional security requirements from the venue.

Yes, once you have confirmed your attendance  you will be sent a link to manage your booking. By following this link you will be able to update your details or cancel your attendance.

If you were allocated additional guest tickets (this only applies to some invitees) you can manage your ticket allocations from the Manage your RSVP link.  

We will send an email with your ticket in the week commencing 28 April.  Please note that all tickets are named and cannot be transferred.  

You can take photos in the Abbey before and after the service but not during it.

An official Abbey photographer will be present at the event, capturing moments throughout the Service. We will share the photos with you after the event.

Whilst tickets to this event are free, FNF relies on external funding to support our vital work. For over 90 years, FNF has been dedicated to supporting and developing nurses and midwives to promote health, improve care and save lives across the world, maintaining Florence Nightingale’s legacy. We would be most grateful if you would donate to our 60th Annual Florence Nightingale Commemoration Campaign and help continue this work. 

There will be a cash collection during the service, and the FNF team will be available for you to make card donations after the service. You can also donate directly via our website here: https://florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/make-a-donation.